The Gunners' boss said: "It was a nightmare. In hindsight, it was the wrong decision.

"At the time, at Highbury we had to cut 5,000 seats. We decided to go to Wembley, but we didn't feel at home.

"The pitch was bigger, the ground was different and for the English players it was something completely unusual.

"We were used, at Highbury, to a tight pitch and unfortunately we were playing against Dynamo Kiev, who were running everywhere on a very big pitch. It was a disadvantage, for sure.

Wembley woe: Arsenal lost to Italian side Fiorentina at the national stadium in 1999 (Image: AFP/Getty)

"It would be less of a disadvantage now, because the stadium is a bit different, [but] the ground is exactly the same — the pitch."

Arsenal eventually upscaled from the 38,000-capacity Highbury to the Emirates, and Wenger laughed off any notion that bitter rivals Tottenham or Chelsea could share that venue with them during building work.